


The Poison Genius: Maricopa

by orphan_account



Series: Not So Ladybug [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Angry Alya Césaire, Confused Alya Césaire, Cussing, Extreme amounts of cussing, F/M, Gabriel Agreste is an Asshole, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Luka Couffaine Loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Matchmakers Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Multi, Nino Lahiffe Is So Done, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Protective Luka Couffaine, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:44:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21890677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ladybug was Marinette, and Marinette was Ladybug. Ladybug’s heroic morals and kind heart made her revered throughout Paris, but Marinette’s heroic morals and kind heart made her a target of Lila’s bullying. Despite the pain she went through in her day-to-day life, Marinette still kept her head up high and saved Paris as Ladybug.But there’s only so much she can take, and because of that neither Marinette or Ladybug exist. The only thing that remains is the poisonous hatred that formed The Poison Genius known as Maricopa.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Not So Ladybug [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583227
Comments: 18
Kudos: 213





	1. A Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawk Moth’s experience causes him to change his goal.

Hawk Moth scoffed at the newspaper article that was about the possible identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir. To him, it was quite obvious who the two heroes were. Their outfits did little to conceal their appearance, so it was easy to deduct who hid behind the costumes. Though Hawk Moth didn’t blame the public for not knowing the duo’s identities, when one’s life is already full, they wouldn’t sweat the details. The same thing happened to him after all.

Because he was still hung over the idea of awakening his wife from her coma, he did not take the time to think about the identities of the two heroes. Though, the thought of his son being forced to wear a cat-themed bodysuit made him laugh. Out of all the outfits that existed in the world, Adrien’s Miraculous decided that he should save the day in that ridiculous apparel! The boy’s determination reminded him of...Emilie.

The laughter gave way into a sorrow-filled sigh.

Despite his age, he used to be naive. He once thought that getting the two heroes Miraculouses and awakening his wife would be the end of his villainous career. Though, as the interactions between him and the two heroes went on, he realized that even if he got his wish granted, nothing would change. Emilie would go back to wielding the Peacock Miraculous and get herself into a coma again, and his son and his crush would steal the Miraculouses back.

Now, Hawk Moth knows what he must do. He must destroy the Miraculouses, and he doesn’t mind breaking a few eggs to achieve his new goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is really short, but it didn’t feel right to add anything else to this grand villain’s revelation! Please understand!
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter and remember that the best you is the true you!


	2. Mari(copa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gives up.

It was 22:35 in Paris, and most people were already asleep. Although if one explored the dark alleys of Paris, they would notice that it was bustling with activity. Most of the denizens of those areas were the usual shady characters that did their career full-time, but a small group of people were those who did theirs part-time.

Specifically, in one alley, there was a little hole-in-the-wall workshop where people could hone their illegal crafting talents. Every night, it would be filled with youthful inventors that would use their mind to create weapons, drugs, and various other things. Of course, all of them knew it was illegal, but they didn’t care. To them, they were pursuing their passion, and that passion would get them thousands on the black market.

One of these rebellious creators was a teenage girl named Marinette but went by Maricopa on the streets. Everyone knew Maricopa for her interest and talent in poison-making as well as her kind personality. The older inventors at the workshop knew that Maricopa was a girl who is a target of harsh bullying and social exile, so they were often overprotective of her. Meanwhile, the younger ones treated Maricopa as a close friend or family member. To Maricopa, the workshop was the only place in Paris where her life as ‘Marinette’ didn’t matter.

But although Maricopa was fine with committing illegal acts, Tikki wasn’t. Everyday, she’d try to convince Marinette to give up her Maricopa persona, but every time Marinette would ignore her and go to the workshop. The kwami feared the day where Marinette would abandon her duties as Ladybug and go off to commit crime for good.

_**[POISONING IN PROGRESS...]** _

Maricopa woke up on her desk with her gas mask and safety goggles shifted into an awkward position. She checked the digital clock above her work station. It was 6:00, and today she needed to return to school since it was the end of her suspension. “That’s good,” she muttered to herself, “I have two and a half hours to get ready.” She opened the windows to aerate the room, and, when she was done, she closed the windows and left the workshop carefully to avoid the wrath of the older inventors for sleeping in her work room again.

Maricopa snuck into her parents’ bakery and got ready for school. She hid her safety goggles, gas mask, and lab coat in her closet; showered off any smell of chemicals on her; and changed into her Marinette outfit. She checked the time again, and it was 7:30. “I might as well head out,” she told herself.

Begrudgingly, Marinette left the bakery until her mother called out to her. “Marinette!” She turned around to face her mother. “Your father and I are going out later today, so the bakery is going to be closed. Just use your key to enter, okay?” Marinette nodded before setting off for school, unaware of the disaster that was going to unfold.

_**[POISONING IN PROGRESS...]** _

Marinette opened the door to her classroom and everyone threw paper balls at her. Seemingly unphased, she picked them all up and unraveled them. 

**‘DIE, YOU BITCH.’**

**‘YOU DON’T BELONG HERE!’**

**‘LEAVE LILA ALONE!’**

**‘SLUT!’**

**‘DROP OUT!’**

The urge to cry formed in her heart, but she suppressed it, knowing that’s what Lila wanted. Instead, she smiled at her classmates and thanked them cheerfully. “Thank you all for giving me these!” A petty side of Marinette told her to keep the papers so she could give them to the inventors at the workshop. The classmates looked at her with shock before ignoring her and continuing on with their business. Marinette noticed that Adrien avoided looking at her in guilt, so she approached him with a smile on her face that hid her toxic anger, not caring that she was making him uncomfortable in public.

“So, is this your answer, Monsieur Agreste?”

Adrien glanced down at the floor and quietly replied to avoid being heard. “Yes. I can’t afford to reveal Lila’s lies because of my father. I’m sorry, Marinette.” He looked at her to see her reaction and saw a fake smile and icy blue eyes that held hatred. He was opened his mouth to comfort her, but Marinette beat him to it. “I see. If that’s the case, Monsieur Agreste, then I expect you to do me a small favor.” 

“I’ll do anything as long as I can make this up to you.”

She placed a vial filled with lead acetate on his desk. “I’m skipping school today. Tell Madame Bustier that I am sick then give this to her and tell her it’s my new passion as Maricopa.” Adrien was confused by her words, but he nodded his head. “I’m trusting you with this, Adrien.” Afterwards, she left the classroom and cheerfully exclaimed, “Farewell, everyone!” 

_**[POISONING IN PROGRESS...]** _

“Marinette, you need to stop what you are doing,” Tikki chided. “You promised me that you would attend school when your suspension was over! You’re breaking that promise!” 

The teenager changed out of her outfit and donned her gas mask, goggles, and lab coat. “Change of plans, Tikki. I’m not going back there.” The kwami flew in front of her in an attempt to stop her. “Marinette, you need help! You can’t do this anymore! What you’re doing is illegal!” Maricopa glared at Tikki with betrayal and cried, “I don’t care!” 

Tears began to fog Maricopa’s goggles. “Lila has everyone believing in her lies, Alya despises me, I’m already deemed as a troublemaker by the school, and Adrien isn’t doing shit about it!” Maricopa began to tug on her hair out of stress. “The only ones who believe me is everyone at the workshop! I can’t take it anymore, Tikki! Being Marinette hurts!” 

Tikki patted Maricopa’s cheek in an effort to ease her pain. “What about Ladybug? Although Hawk Moth hasn’t made his move yet, there is still petty crime that you can prevent.” Maricopa paused at the mention of Ladybug and growled. “I. Hate. Ladybug.” 

“What?”

Maricopa stared at Tikki. “You heard me. I hate Ladybug. When I’m Marinette and try to do the right thing, I get accused of trying to create trouble. And when I’m Ladybug—the _perfect_ savior of Paris—and do the right thing, scum like Lila flock to me to gain popularity. I’m a fucking tool no matter who I am, Tikki.” 

Tikki couldn’t say anything back. Maricopa was not wrong in her statement. With no willpower left, the kwami moved out of the way and let her go.

_**[POISONING IN PROGRESS...]** _

Madame Bustier scanned the class and realized that Marinette wasn’t there. “Does anyone know where Marinette is?” 

Lila, seeing as this was the perfect moment to spin another lie about Marinette, was about to say something until Adrien got up and went to the teacher. 

He handed her a vial of white powder and told her, “Marinette is sick today, so she couldn’t come. But she told me to tell you that this bag is her new passion as Maricopa.” Madame Bustier stared at him in shock before snatching the vial and leaving the class, leaving the class in confusion.

_“Oh my gosh, is Marinette a crackhead?”_

_“That’s so like her, dumb whore.”_

_“Maybe that’s why she was so retarded!”_

A few minutes passed and Madame Bustier returned with tears in her eyes with Monsieur Damocles following. The class interrogated her for answers.

“Is it drugs?”

“What is it?”

“It’s just flour, right?”

Madame Bustier went to the front of the class and handed the headmaster the vial. He cleared his throat before making his solemn announcement. 

“I’m afraid I cannot divulge in that kind of information to you all for fear that you all will pursue Marinette into a dangerous area. However, if this is her decision then I must warn you all. To those who may have crossed her, please be aware of your surroundings as one simple mistake will lead you to your death.” Lila felt a cold shiver on her back. Is Marinette going to kill her? 

_**[POISONING IN PROGRESS...]** _

Maricopa almost cried as she made her way to the workshop. 

She couldn’t understand why things turned out this way. Why people believed Lila’s words over her’s, why they thought that she was monster, why Adrien couldn’t disobey his father this once, why- 

“It’s because you are naive,” a masculine voice echoed in her head. 

Maricopa paused and looked around but found no one. “Marinette, the reason why things turned out this way was because of your good heart.” She grimaced at her name and hissed back at the voice. “What are you talking about? Where are you? Stop being a coward and face me!” 

Suddenly, she was engulfed in a dark purple cocoon and in front of her was a man she recognized on sight. 

“Hawk Moth,” she spat. The villain chuckled at her hatred. “And Ladybug to you, my dear.” The wavering heroine took a step forward and grabbed his suit. “How the hell do you know that?” Hawk Moth swatted her hand and tidied his suit. “My dear, your suit does little to conceal your identity. Now, as much as I would love to chit chat with you, I don’t have all the time in world to deal with your nonsense. To make this short for both you and I, join me to get Chat Noir’s Miraculous and you’ll get your revenge.” 

Maricopa sneered at the criminal’s crass offer. “And why should I? If I wanted to, I could get my revenge myself.” 

“Yes, you could as you’re smarter than the average teen your age, but would that be the best option?”

“What do you mean by that?” Maricopa had the slightest feeling that he was calling her incompetent.

“You see, Marinette, if you _do_ get revenge without my influence, you’ll be labeled as a cold hearted monster and that Lila would be mourned. However, if you get revenge _with_ my influence, everyone will be skeptical of Lila’s words as they would see that she was the one that caused your akumatization. This will give you your chance to reveal the dirty liar she is.” 

Maricopa smirked at the thought of Lila loosing everything as she once had. “You have a point, Old Man. I like your deal. Sure, I’ll let you akumatize me.” Hawk Moth grinned and stuck his hand out. “I’m glad you have sense. Let’s seal the deal with a handshake.” 

Though Maricopa did not shake it. “Let me get something straight Moth Man,” Maricopa stipulated, “I’m not going to be your brainless pawn. I’m going to be your _equal_ , which means I will do things my way. Understand?” 

Hawk Moth goggled at her in shock before laughing. “Alright, I can do that.” 

“Great.”

The two shook hands as Maricopa got covered in akumas. “Since you’re now my equal, I must ask what you’re name shall be.”

She didn’t hesitate as she declared her new title. “Maricopa. Like the Maricopa harvester ant.”

“The organism with the most toxic venom. Then, your ability shall allow you to create any type of venom and poison that exists.”

_**[POISONING COMPLETE]** _

It was 11:45 in Paris, and most people were working at their jobs. Although if one explored the dark alleys of Paris, they would notice that a girl named Marinette died and a genius of poisons called Maricopa took her place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before people ask how the teachers know who Maricopa is, it’ll be revealed in later chapters （╹◡╹）. 
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter and remember: you are fabulous (like Sylvando) the way you are!


	3. A Debut of Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maricopa makes her existence known and gains a partner.

A hysteric air formed in the class as many of the students pardoned themselves and ran out of the room in terror, and some didn’t even manage to muster the strength to leave and instead broke down in tears. Additionally, Madame Bustier didn’t make an effort to calm them down since she knew that it was futile to convince them that danger wasn’t at hand. All in all, the class were in a frenzy over the reveal of a wronged classmate potentially killing everyone who had slandered her. 

Yet Adrien, true to his heroic habits, stood up and shouted, “Everyone! Everything is okay! Chat Noir and Ladybug will cleanse Marinette, so don’t worry!” 

At the mention of the two heroes, the entire class quieted. “Adrien’s right,” one student exclaimed, “as long as Ladybug and Chat Noir are in Paris, we’re safe!” Suddenly, everyone began to laugh without a care in the world. 

“I don’t know why I was worried about Marinette when we have Ladybug and Chat Noir!” 

“Yeah, Ladybug and Chat Noir will save us!”

Lila, seeing an opportunity, announced, “I know that Ladybug will save us! You wanna know why? It’s cause I’m her best friend! You all better be grateful that I’m in your class!” 

Adrien smiled as everyone calmed down and mentally noted to scout Marinette later that day. Although, contrary to his relief, Marinette’s akumatization was _much_ worse than he initially realized.

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

Maricopa looked at her pockets that were filled with an infinite amount of vessels for her poisons. Bombs, syringes, spray can containers, there was no end, much to her delight. However, that delight wilted when she realized that they weren’t filled with poison.

“So,” she started, “how am I supposed to fill these?” 

And, unlike others who got akumatized, Hawk Moth’s symbol did not appear on her face, but instead a Maricopa ant hairpin glowed purple. “Just think about the poison you want and what form you want it in, and the vessel of your choice will fill up with your request. Oh, and don’t worry whether or not the poison comes in that form, anything is possible with my Miraculous’s power.” 

A large smirk made its way onto Maricopa’s face as she looked at the busy streets of Paris. “It’ll take forever if I wait for Chat Noir, so what if I called him instead,” she rhetorically asked.

Hawk Moth grinned at her plan and supplied her with a response. “Let us find out, shall we?”

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

After everyone brushed off M. Damocles’s announcement as something harmless, class continued on as usual until a loud shriek interrupted Mm. Bustier’s lecture.

Before the teacher was able to ask what was wrong, the student pointed to her phone, trembling in sheer terror. “It’s Marinette,” she whimpered, “she’s poisoned my parents!” 

Students gathered around the phone to watch the terrifying sight.

Dozens of sweaty, hairless corpses laid in their own vomit while those that were still alive were convulsing and drooling from the overabundance of saliva forming in their mouths. The select few that weren’t dead or convulsing were screaming in agony as they asked each other about the metallic taste in their mouth. Above the victims, a young teenage girl stood laughing at the macabre madness, and it was obvious that she was Marinette, despite the drastic change of appearance. 

Her usual short sleek hair that were put into pigtails were now long and disheveled and in twin tails with ant-themed accessories decorating them. Safety goggles protected moss green eyes from any bodily fluids even though it wasn’t necessary to do so, and a large lab coat that hung off of Marinette’s figure was filled with bombs, syringes, and the like. Additionally, a black gas mask that was only there for decoration covered half of her her face. Emerald green rain boots that were lively walking in the mess were stained with blood and other unpleasant fluids while lavender-colored gloves poked the corpses. 

At the cameraman’s noticeable groan of pain, Marinette stared at the camera with an innocent and vexatious delight in her eyes. “Don’t you guys like what I’ve done with the place?” Suddenly, the device used to film the scene was jostled and cracked before the film was cut. 

A silence filled the class after the video sunk in. “Oh my god, she’s coming for us next,” a student said ominously. In a desperate attempt to please the angered girl, one student frantically bleated out, “Who angered Marinette? Reveal yourself! You caused this mess, so you better end it!” Soon, many students joined in, shouting for the culprit to sacrifice themselves to Marinette to appease her wrath. 

Of course Lila did not reveal herself and opted to leave the classroom until one of her lackeys mentioned, “Wasn’t Lila the one who started this whole problem? She _is_ the one who gossiped stuff about her.” Lila ran for her life out of the class, but several students pinned her down and dragged her to the center of the mob. “We got her!” Someone yelled. “Now we can satisfy Marinette!”

Lila screamed as the students dragged her outside for Marinette to enact her revenge on her. “I didn’t do it,” she cried out desperately before she saw Adrien. “Adrien,” she begged, “tell everyone that I’m not guilty! Please! I don’t deserve this!” However, her cries fell on deaf ears as Adrien left Lila to the mob to go to the restroom.

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

On her way to Françoise Dupont High School, Maricopa skipped with liberation, leaving a trail of various body fluids from her many victims behind her. Though, she stopped when she saw a particular boy her age storm out of a bar that he _definitely_ shouldn’t be at. “Hawk Moth,” she mumbled to the ant hairpin, “I’m going to get you a new victim today.” Said villain only chuckled with satisfaction before the connection went silent. 

With a bright smile, Maricopa sprung at the boy and blurted a question that surprised him. “Who’re you and whatcha doin’ in this place?” At the sudden question, he fell down in shock before staring at her.

“You’re that girl,” he stammered. “The girl that poisoned everyone on camera!” 

Maricopa frowned at him due to fact that he didn’t answer her question. “That’s not nice! I just asked you a question! You don’t answer a question with another question! Seriously, who taught you manners?” 

The teenager trembled in fear when he realized that she was upset with his response. “My name is Luka Couffaine,” he stuttered, “and I’m here to play music. However, they kicked me out in favor of a hardly dressed lady. Please don’t hurt me!” Maricopa rubbed her gas mask—in attempt to mimic a chin—with fake concentration. “May I ask, Monsieur Couffaine, why you are playing music at this good-for-nothing place? You could’ve played music anywhere, yet you chose this dump!” 

Luka looked at her with surprise, not expecting her to spare his life, but, when he comprehended her question, he grimaced. “It’s because of a girl named Lila. You see, I was playing at a café when I heard her spout lies about a heroine named Ladybug and gossiped about someone named Marinette. I knew I shouldn’t meddle with things like that, but I couldn’t help it. Next thing I know, I told her off for saying such things and she accused me of threatening to hurt her! Then, I was kicked out of the café and the owner warned other cafés about my ‘delinquent behavior’.” 

“That’s rough,” she said after she helped him up. “But,” she started, “why did the owner believe that liar over you? There was no evidence to prove it.”

To answer her question, he pointed to his hair that was dyed teal at the tips. “It’s ‘cause of my hair,” he spat. Shortly after, he began to rapidly explain the reason further out of anger. “I don’t why, but the guy thinks that I’m a delinquent because I chose to dye my hair! Now, I can’t play anywhere because they think I going to hurt their customers! What’s worse is that the café is well-known and respected, so other businesses would listen to the owner rather than me!” Luka panted as he finished and sighed. “I don’t know who’s at fault here, me or that girl.” 

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s Lila’s fault.”

The aspiring musician gaped at Maricopa. “What?” His question caused her to burst into a fit of maniacal giggles that—strangely enough—contained a sad undertone to it. Shortly after, she cut herself off in order to comprehensively talk.

“That Marinette girl you were talking about? That’s me. To be specific, I _was_ Marinette.”

“Wait, ‘was’? You can’t change who you are unless...you are akumatized.”

“Ding ding ding! Though, I’m a special type of akuma! Instead of submitting to Hawk Moth’s will, I made a deal with him! The alias is Maricopa!” 

Luka eyed her warily, ready to flee if she decided to harm him, and cautiously asked, “If you’re an akuma and we never met before, what do you want with me? Akumas only go after those who were against them.” 

“Weren’t you listening,” Maricopa said with a slightly agitated tone. “I said that I’m a _special_ kind of akuma! I’m different from the akumas that the public know. Anyways, to answer your question, I’m here to make a proposition of sorts with you.”

The musician lowered his defenses when he could sense no malice from her before listening carefully. “Explain.” A large smile made its way onto Maricopa’s face—although, no one could see it. 

“Both of us want to get even with Lila. So, you should be my partner and we’ll both get our revenge! However, at this state, you are currently powerless. To remedy this, all you have to do is agree to my deal and Hawk Moth will grant you the abilities you need.”

He contemplated her offer to a few minutes before looking at her straight in the eyes. “I’ll do it, but I want to make one thing clear to this ‘Hawk Moth’: I am _not_ his puppet. I will do what I want with those powers, and he will not be able to prevent me from doing so.” 

“I hear you loud and clear, Monsieur Couffaine.”

He quickly turned around and saw a man who he assumed was Hawk Moth. With a satisfied grin, Luka stared the older man. “That’s good. Now, what do I have to do to allow you to akumatize me?”

A purple akuma flew towards Luka before transforming into a charm bracelet that had numerous music-related ornaments attached to it and falling in his hand. The villain pointed at the accessory. “Wear that.” Not wasting any time, the teen wore the bracelet, causing the powers of the akuma to enter his body. 

In the midst of his metamorphosis, Hawk Moth whispered in his accomplice’s ear. “Don’t let me down, Marinette.” To which she nodded in understanding.

Once Luka’s transformation was over, Maricopa held his hands in a welcoming manner with the most sincere and widest smile. 

“Welcome to the team, Siren!”

Siren swore he felt his heart beat at the sight of her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am excited for the tension between Adrien and Siren, and I hope you all are too! Tell me what you guys think!
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember: you are all perfect hoomans! (*^▽^*)


	4. Help For the Good and the Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siren learns more about what being a ‘special’ akuma entails, Sabrina reveals her beliefs, and Chat Noir meets Maricopa’s shady friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNTS OF VULGAR LANGUAGE/CUSSING COMING FROM A SMOL CHILD THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU CRINGE!! IF YOU WISH TO SKIP, STOP READING FROM, “...her enunciation became more crude,” TO, “...you assume otherwise.” 
> 
> Other than that, enjoy the chapter ( ◠‿◠ )!

After a few seconds passed, Maricopa let go of Siren’s hands to get a piece of paper that was forcibly nudged in her already-stuffed coat pocket, causing Siren to feel a bit upset about the loss of contact. 

“Alright, so Moth Man left me this note explaining your ability as Siren.” 

The detail at the end of Maricopa’s sentence made the other akuma curious as to what she meant.

“‘As Siren’? Is there another form to the akumatization?” 

She paused at his question and reached up to the ant pin to feel it. When she didn’t feel any difference, she let her hand fall to her side and faced him again to answer him. 

“There are. Actually, from what I know, there is anger, which is the stage we’re in now, rage, vexation, fury, and then wrath, making five stages in total. With each stage, you gain new abilities and sometimes your appearance changes. Of course, all of that comes at a cost.” 

Siren couldn’t help his curiosity and asked, “What is that cost? And how do you advance to each stage?”

One of Siren’s charms on his bracelet and Maricopa’s pin lit up, and Hawk Moth voice appeared in both of their minds. “That is something that you will find out in due time, Siren. For now, you and Maricopa should continue with you two’s ‘mission’.” Shortly after, their items stopped glowing. 

“You heard the moth,” Maricopa suddenly said with a tinge of iciness, “let’s get going.”

Siren wanted to tell the other akuma that still didn’t tell him what he could as Siren, but, feeling guilty for bringing up something she probably didn’t want to talk about, he didn’t say anything about it and followed her.

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

The some of the students restrained Lila as the others were tying her to a nearby bicycle rack. The liar panicked at the situation and desperately shouted out, “If you all sacrifice me, Ladybug won’t save you all!” 

The bold statement caused half of the student body to freeze in their actions while the others looked at her, unimpressed with her lies. Those who didn’t believe Lila’s lies glared at those did. “What’re you all doing? She’s clearly lying!”

“But what if she’s not?” 

“Are you all stupid? Of course she is!”

While the two groups were arguing, Lila broke the weak restraints and slipped away into the shadows. However, Sabrina saw all this happen and she tried to alert the other students. “Everyone,” she yelled, “Lila is getting away!” But they couldn’t hear her over their disputing. 

It was only until the two groups reached a compromise did they realize that Lila went missing, and they, needing someone to blame for their mistakes, decided that it was all Sabrina’s fault. 

“Why didn’t you tell us she escaped,” one student asked harshly. Another shook their head and said, “That’s what we get for recruiting such useless luggage.” More insults geared towards Sabrina came endlessly, pushing the girl to tears.

“I tried to tell you all, but you all wouldn’t listen to me! You all kept arguing over yourselves! Lila escaping is all on you guys!”

Furious at hearing the truth of the situation, the students dragged Sabrina to the street where Maricopa debuted and tossed her onto the bloodied pavement. The teen had fought the urge to puke and stared defiantly at the group. Multiple pairs of eyes looked at her with cold hatred, others with damaged pride, and the rest with disappointment.

“You all,” she chuckled dryly, “can’t handle the truth, can you? It’s just like with Marinette. Sure, Lila may have started the entire thing, but, in the end, it’s you all who pushed Marinette to where she is now. Now that she finally bared her fangs, you all are willing to sacrifice someone else if it means that you won’t be. Cowards, all of you, to the very end.” 

One of the students took a step forward and glared at Sabrina. “And what about you? Don’t act like your the innocent one in this situation. You could’ve ended her misery at any point in time, but you chose not to. Why? Because you were _scared_. Rather than risk Chloé abandoning you and becoming the target of bullying, you just watched Marinette’s suffering. Do you want to know what’s worse than a persecutor, Sabrina? A bystander. It hurts to be harassed, but it is devastating to know that—no matter how many times you beg for help—people would rather watch you get tortured than step in to save you.” 

The girl was silent, encouraging the student to continue their argument. “Now you’re silent? I’m pretty sure you were acting high and mighty a few minutes ago. Where’s that certainty? Or did you finally realize your hypocrisy?” A snarl formed on the teen’s face as she yanked herself up and jabbed her finger into the student’s chest. “You’re right,” she declared, “I _was_ a bystander. I _should’ve_ stood up for Marinette. And I _am_ guilty of being a chicken. But do you want to know what I’m _not_ guilty of? It’s being ready for owning up for my mistakes.” 

Sabrina’s sudden burst of subversion stunned the student body, and she decided to take that precious chance to fight back. Now wasn’t the time to worry about the blood and body fluids that would dry on her skirt or panic about damaging her reputation, now was the time to defend herself and reveal the students’ skewed way of thinking. 

“When Maricopa debuted, my first thought wasn’t, ‘Oh what should I do to appease this akuma,’ or, ‘This is clearly someone else’s fault.’ Instead, I felt like this was my wake-up call. For all my life, I hid behind those with power in order to dodge my problems, but, when I saw Marinette as an akuma, I realized that no amount of power would magically make my problems disappear.”

Chloé, who had been watching the scene unfold the entire time, became livid at the thought of Sabrina using her instead of the other way around. She was the mayor’s daughter, and yet a _commoner_ had fooled her into thinking that she was the one in control and played her like a puppet for their own selfish benefit. “Your actions don’t match up with your words, ‘Brina,” she said with restrained rage. “You claim to own up to your mistakes, yet just a few minutes ago you were willing to sacrifice Lila to Maricopa. That’s quite self-righteous of you.” Murmurs of agreement came from the group of students as they stared at Chloé’s former friend. 

Against Sabrina’s desires, bitter tears formed at the corner of her jungle green-colored eyes. “And to think I had looked up to you,” she sputtered with hurt. However, she wasted no time in taking a series of deep breaths and furiously wiping away any falling tears. Once she was no longer shedding tears, she continued. “Yes, like always, I didn’t do anything to save Lila. But that wasn’t because I didn’t want to own up to my mistakes. Instead, the reason was because I wasn’t a fool to stand up against a mob of people who could overpower me. Plus, what Lila had coming to her is what she deserved. Why should I stand in between Lila and her punishment?” 

Sabrina had planned to stop there, but she felt a light tap on her shoulder and her inner righteousness and spite consumed her whole. Those strong emotions then took the reigns and her mouth spewed out her deepest feelings as her voice began to grow more scratchy and metallic, much to the horror of her former classmates.

“But don’t think you’re free of sin, Chloé.”

Suddenly, her view was obscured by a purple wall and she could longer hear or see anything. 

**“Hello, Madame Raincomprix.”**

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

“Where is she?”

Deft feet jumped from roof to roof as Chat Noir scouted the area for any sight of Maricopa. With baton in hand, he was weary of any surprise attacks that the akuma could make. Then, he felt a slight disturbance in the wind and immediately turned around, ready to subdue the akuma. However, to his disappointment and surprise, he saw a group of civilians in front of him. They were all of varying ages and had their own unique appearance, but each of them had one thing in common, they all wore white lab coats that were too big for them and safety gear meant for various purposes. 

The tallest, and probably the oldest, of the group walked towards the young hero. It was unclear what their intentions or identity were as they wore a full-body hazmat suit with a white lab coat hanging on their neck and shoulders, causing Chat Noir to make his weapon lengthen. At his increased defense, a muffled, male voice came from the hazmat suit.

“Woah there,” he started nervously, “we’re not trying to hurt you, Kitty Cat. We just want to talk.” 

The hero’s eyes squinted in suspicion and he clutched his staff tighter. “About what?”

Then, the smallest and youngest-looking jumped out from behind the tall person and shouted, “We want you to save Mari, you dumb pussycat!” The child was a girl who had a lab coat tied around her waist as well as an impossible pair of candy red twin drills. Additionally, her skin was covered in bandages and freckles and a set of safety goggles casually rested on her head. Finally, her teary, honey orange eyes pierced Chat Noir’s heart.

The man in the hazmat suit stared at the girl in—what would most likely be—shock. “Bombshell! I told you to leave the talking to me!” 

The girl, Bombshell, pouted at the person. “But he wasn’t going to listen if we didn’t tell him why we’re here!”

“Well, yeah, but still! You shouldn’t have insulted him like that!” 

Chat Noir, who was completely dumbfounded by the events occurring before him, asked, “What’s going on? Who are you guys? Are you guys allies with Maricopa?”

The tallest one of the group faced the hero once again. “Ah, I forgot that we didn’t introduce ourselves. Well, we’re the creators of Wildcat Workshop and probably the only people who knew Maricopa personally. I’m Fuission, the ‘head’ of Wildcat Workshop and one of the creators that work with the nuclear stuff. And this kid here,” he gestured to the girl, “is Bombshell. She deals with explosions and all that.” 

The young hero’s attention peaked when Fuission mentioned that he knew Marinette personally. “You know Maricopa?” 

Bombshell looked surprised, if not insulted, at the question. “Of course we do!” She exclaimed. “She would tell us everything about her daily life and how she despised going to that school she went to. What was it’s name?” While the child was trying to remember the name, Chat Noir silently hoped that she was talking about another school that Marinette attended. 

“It was called Françoise Dupont High School,” was the supplied answer from one of the makers in the crowd as they had stepped forward to reveal themselves. 

The person was a cold-looking woman that wore a lavender medical face mask and a white lab coat the proper way. Her periwinkle hair was styled in an inverted bob and her arctic blue eyes examined the hero disdainfully. When the hero looked at her expectantly, awaiting a greeting, she sighed with irritation. “My name is Sharpae, spelled S-H-A-R-P-A-E not S-H-A-R P-E-I. A pleasure to meet you,” she bit out. 

Bombshell, oblivious to Sharpae’s contempt of the hero, smiled widely. “Yeah, that’s the name! Like I was saying, Mari would tell us how that place was filled with backstabbing, cutthroat students who wouldn’t bat an eye at abandoning their closest friends for a chance for popularity. She even told us about her own quote-unquote bff left her for a lying... _bitch_!” Suddenly, her jovial mood turned into one filled with anger and her enunciation became more crude. “And when she told us ‘bout ‘ow ‘er crush refused to reveal the lying slut for the bitch she was, she started crying and locked herself in ‘er workplace! Mari never cries, so that means that ‘er crush did something unforgivable!” She spat on the floor in disgust. “‘S probably their fault that Mari is the way she is now,” she seethed. 

“Calm down, Bombshell,” Sharpae responded monotonously. “Everyone is upset about the recent events, but you don’t see us lashing out. Things are already terrible as it is, we don’t need you blowing up a school.” 

The child glared at the older woman. “Deceiving cunt,” the girl snapped, “you’re just spouting shit outta yer ass, aren’tcha? Ya don’t give a damn whether or not Mari is akumatized!” 

With a glower that could kill, Sharpae grabbed Bombshell by the collar of her shirt and aimed a sharpened scalpel at her mouth. “What delusions,” she hissed. “I may not look the part, but I care for Mari as much as you do. So, how _dare_ you assume otherwise.” 

Fuission, realizing the fight that would most likely end in bloodshed, broke the battle up. “Guys! Calm down! If you haven’t noticed, we’re in front of a hero!” The two, remembering their situation, bitterly and reluctantly left each other alone, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir contemplated the type of people Marinette liked to hang out with. From what he could tell, she preferred to hang out with a leader who couldn’t identify a fight when he saw one, a small child whose extreme emotions flipped like a switch, and an ice queen that didn’t hesitate when it came to mutilate said small child. Such a discovery gave the hero a startling realization, Marinette had despised Lila, him, and their classmates to the point where she’d rather spend her time with people with...questionable mentalities. 

“I’ll save her,” Adrien said suddenly. 

Fuission stared at him in surprise. “Really?”

“Yes, I’m going to save Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabrina finally grows up and stands up for herself while Maricopa’s friends have been revealed in all of their weird glory! This chapter is just filled with interesting things! Plus, I’d like to thank my friend, Atalanta, for reading this story! And finally, I’d like to thank all of you for reading this story as well (but don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the last chapter.)!


	5. Initiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The “bad guys” make their move before the hero’s.

As Siren and Maricopa maneuvered their way through the alleyways of Paris, small glimpses of the city leaked through the dark walls of decrepit buildings, occasionally catching Maricopa’s attention. 

Sunlight glazed over the multitudes of small mom and pop cafés, flower shops, boutiques, and other small businesses, giving them a warm and youthful appearance. Happy couples of varying ages—some with equally joyful children—held hands as they looked at the small shops with contentment while excitedly talking with each other and laughing. On the contrary, those that didn’t have a beloved had an air of freedom of independence around them. Meanwhile, students from different grade levels chatted with liveliness besides their groups of friends. 

At the sight of picturesque scene, Maricopa bit her lip with envy and resentment, mentally seething at the unfairness of it all. She endured the endless bullying of Lila, Alya abandoning her, Adrien refusing to mitigate the bullying as if he had no choice, and the stress of being Ladybug, yet there was no redemption or happy ending. Instead, she kept getting abused and denied the help she needed. 

The civilians, on the other hand, only coast through life, unaware of what actual suffering is like, but they are the ones who get rewarded with the things they desire whether it be immediately or gradually. 

Clearly, such injustice must be brought down. 

“Siren,” Maricopa ordered, “change of plans. Your debut is going to be here.”

Siren looked at her with confusion. “Are you sure? I mean, wouldn’t it be better if my debut was at your high school? Then, I can torture those who bullied you. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

The villainess glared at her companion and snapped. “Did I stutter?”

The other villain stared at her in shock before he shook his head and complied with her order. “Alright, I’ll debut here.”

Then, Siren made his way to the street, ready to cause chaos while Maricopa remained in the shadows to watch.

But, unbeknownst to Maricopa, the ant pin that housed the akuma began to fuse to her scalp as dark violet roots sprouted from the accessory.

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

Once Chat Noir was done talking with the inventors of Wildcat Workshop, he wasted no time in searching for Maricopa. While the inventors seemed somewhat suspicious, Chat Noir knew that their care for Marinette, or Maricopa in their case, was genuine. Additionally, seeing a friend in pain felt unbearable to Adrien, especially if he could do something about it. 

So, when he heard masses of loud screams calling for help from two different locations, he was confused. As far as he knew, there was only one reason as to why a group of people would scream for help, that reason being an extremely dangerous akuma, yet there was only one akuma, Maricopa. So, which location is being terrorized by Maricopa, and who is threatening the other location? Where should he go?

Before he could panic, Plagg came out of his ring. 

“Kid! Don’t freak out! Just use your powers and judgement to determine where you should go!”

Adrien only nodded in order to show that he both heard and understood what Plagg had said. Then, he closed his eyes and tapped into the abilities of the Cat Miraculous. In the beginning, he couldn’t hear anything from the scenes, so he kept tapping into the Miraculous’s abilties until he gained the results he desired. After he could hear the two scenes clearly, he concentrated on the noise to gather information.

To Adrien’s left, there were screams of his classmates. To his shock, they were panicking and shouting over Sabrina, someone he knew as Chloé’s ‘bestie’, being engulfed in a purple cocoon and turning into an akuma. From what he could hear, some were planning to run away and hide—preferring to die at the hands of Maricopa than to die by whatever power Sabrina would gain, but others devised to tear open the cocoon and prevent Sabrina from being akumatized. 

Meanwhile, straight ahead, there were shouts and sobs from different people of varying age. They were begging people—who they most likely knew, based on what they were shouting—to ‘snap out of it’ and to not kill them, something that confused Chat Noir. He kept listening until he heard a masculine, melodic voice which sounded _wrong_. He didn’t know how, but an instinct within him told his conscious that the voice was dangerous. However, the voice wormed into his brain and shouted in his mind.

_“Kill anyone who got in your way! Show the world what happens when people prevent you from getting close to your goal!”_

Painful, yet invisible, shocks exploded throughout his body. Out of pain and resistance towards to voice, Chat Noir yelled, “No! A hero doesn’t hurt anyone!” 

Unexpectedly, the voice immediately retracted itself out of his head, and the young hero was left alone in silence. 

“What,” he asked out of a combination of surprise and bafflement, “just happened?”

“Whoever is in control of the voice must’ve thought you were a waste of energy and got rid of the voice,” Plagg supplied. “But don’t be relieved yet. As you have already heard, there is a person who can control people if they hear their voice, and that person is wreaking havoc. Plus, I don’t think Maricopa would attain that ability, even if she advanced through the akumatization stages. So, at best, it’s someone with an item and no abilities of their own. At worst, it’s a completely new akuma who has both a dangerous power and consciousness.”

“What do you mean by akumatization stages?”

“Something that’ll most likely not happen, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

There was a long pause between the two as Adrien was trying to comprehend everything Plagg had said and weighing his options. 

After a few seconds passed, the kwami looked at the teenager with an unimpressed stare and shouted—similar to a sports coach, Adrien thought, “What’re you waiting for? Go save the day!”

Chat Noir rushed to the location of his classmates.

▸◂ ▸◂ ▸◂

“Did you do as I asked, Faille?”

The man, Noah Faille, was still on his knees as he looked up to his liege with reverence. 

“Exactly as you said, my liege,” Noah answered obediently. “He is doing everything we want him to do. You are so wise, my liege.”

The other man looked at Noah with a blasé expression before taking a sip from his wineglass. Meanwhile, Noah stared at the man with an unhealthy amount of adoration while showering him in praises.

“My liege, you are simply too perfect for this world! I mean, your skills are unparalleled! With only few words from you, people believe everything you say, whether it be truth or fiction!”

The man stopped Noah from continuing his monologue by standing up from his dark violet loveseat and slamming his devotee’s face into the ground using his expensive and polished dark violet shoe.

“Shut your lips if you know what’s best for you.”

Heavy breaths and a muffled voice responded. “Yes, my liege.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you all guess who Noah and his liege is? Hint hint, Noah is related to one of the current akumas, Maricopa/Marinette and Siren/Luka! Also, do you think Chat Noir/Adrien made the right choice in saving his classmates first? What do you think will happen in the next chapter? All of that next time or later on “The Poisonous Genius: Maricopa”!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


End file.
